US Patent 11978319 Blocking symbol set bypass

Gaming systems and methods that provides a blocking symbol set bypass feature for a play of a game, wherein the player to elect whether or not to employ the blocking symbol set bypass for the symbol evaluation for that play of the game. When a blocking symbol set bypass is employed for a symbol evaluation for a play of the game, for at least part of the symbol evaluation, the gaming system can skip one or more symbols of a blocking symbol set in evaluating the displayed symbols of the displayed outcome of the play of the game to determine any displayed winning symbol combinations and any awards associated with the displayed symbols.